The American Hijacker

On September 6, 1970, guerrillas from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine seized four aircraft in the skies over Europe. One of the hijackers, 27-year-old Patrick Arguello, was a U.S. citizen. The crew aboard the El Al flight he and his colleague Leila Khaled had seized disarmed the pair, foiling their crime and killing Arguello in the struggle. Why did he choose to commit such a violent act, in the name of a cause half a world away from his own roots and upbringing?